LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The first week of March is National Weights and Measures Week, which is dedicated to recognizing the role and importance of the weights and measure officials around the nation.

Few people know that such officials exist, but everyone who purchases products that are sold by weight, volume, length or count benefits from the work of the weights and measures officials.

Not surprisingly, the practice of verifying the measure or weight of a product and the devices used to conduct the measurement is one of the oldest professions.

Since the first trading of goods from one person to another, there has been a need for a third party to certify that a measured or weighed commodity is what both parties agreed to.

The weights and measures official has become crucial to economic stability by enforcing measurement standards, developing testing procedures and certifying measurement equipment.

In Lake County, the Department of Weights and Measures is part of the Department of Agriculture.  They work with the states’ Division of Measurement Standards (DMS), the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), and the National Conference on Weights and Measures (NCWM).

A great example of how weights and measures officials are working to serve the public is found in the gold buying industry.

In today’s economy, many people are buying and selling gold in order to take advantage of record-high values.

As one might expect, there are also unscrupulous dealers taking advantage of the naiveté about how gold is valued and weighed.

These folks often set up shifting “storefronts” in hotel lobbies and private homes. They sometimes used fraudulent scales and purposely undervalue the gold that a person brings in to sell.

In an effort to prevent fraud in gold sales, the NCWM released an alert to consumers titled, “Gold Prices Create Seller Beware Market” which can be found at www.ncwm.net/sites/default/files/about/press/2011/11_10_24_Gold_Rush.pdf.

This alert provides critical information to consumers on how to determine the value of their gold before they get to the store.

Another critical area of weights and measures efforts continues to be the measure of gasoline and diesel fuels.

As prices continue to climb, weights and measures officials work to ensure that every gas pump is tested and held to strict tolerances of accuracy.

Beyond the device itself, samples of fuel are routinely collected and analyzed, price signs are verified, and required services are provided.

All of these measures are conducted to ensure that consumers can continue to buy their fuel with confidence.

As always, the Lake County Department of Weights and Measures is working hard to make sure that transactions in Lake County are fair and equitable.

This year, officials have inspected hundred of gas pumps, scales, propane meters and many other types of devices.

Additionally, officials have conducted dozens of site inspections at local businesses to ensure that check out registers continue to ‘ring-up’ the correct amount, preventing buyers from possibly being overcharged for the goods they purchase.

In Lake County, each citizen pays about 70 cents per year for the weights and measures program.

The Department of Weights and Measures can be reached at 707-263-0217.